Waking Up
by digthewriter
Summary: Arthur has been so deeply involved in his own sorrow that he hasn't realised that his next door neighbour has the hots for him. What happens when Merlin finally wakes Arthur up?


**Title**: Waking Up  
**Pairing**: Merlin/Arthur, Gwen/Lancelot  
**Rating**: NC-17  
**Warnings**: Slight OOC. Kind of a dick!Lancelot. Oblivious!Gwen. Bi-phobic!Arthur.  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of Merlin, they all belong to BBC and Shine. No profit is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Arthur stumbled from the fridge to the sofa and plopped himself in front of the telly. He was down to his last bottle of beer and he was _drunk_. Not as drunk as he'd like to be, but pissed enough to forget his troubles.

Or so he wished.

He was just about to turn off the telly and turn his laptop on when there was a knock on the door. "Great! A man can't even wank in peace," he mumbled to himself and headed for the door.

The person behind the door knocked again.

"I'm coming!" Arthur all but screamed as he adjusted his jeans and opened the door. "Oh, it's you," he said when he saw his next-door neighbour Merlin smiling holding a small empty bottle. "Need more milk?"

"Yeah, sorry to bother you, Arthur. It's just...your house is so much closer than the corner shop." Merlin smiled _that_ smile again and Arthur opened the door all the way to let his neighbour in.

"You know where the fridge is," Arthur said as he made his way towards the sofa.

"What's wrong with you today?" Merlin asked; he hadn't gone to the kitchen, instead, he walked after Arthur into the sitting room. "You look _extra_...worried today."

"It's nothing," Arthur said and grabbed his laptop to check his email. His email with the link to the website. The website where all the details for the wedding were posted. He sighed and looked up at Merlin who looked cross. "What?"

"What's bothering you?" Merlin's voice was soft and full of concern, unlike the look he had in his eyes.

"I need more drinks for this," Arthur said, "and I'm fresh out."

"I've got a bottle of whiskey in my flat, I can go get it."

"What kind?"

"Bowmore. 15 Year Old."

"Holy shit," Arthur exclaimed. "That's my favourite..."

"Oh is it?" Merlin asked shrugging. "It was a gift and I didn't do anything with it so it just sits around in the cupboard..."

Arthur grunted.

"What?" Merlin asked.

"Not sure if I want to drink my favourite kind of alcohol while I sulk." He shrugged and then click on his gmail link.

"Do you want me to go to City Beverage to pick up some beer, then?"

"Wow, you really want to hear this story," Arthur said, looking up at Merlin again. His scowl had diffused but he still stood awkwardly by the coffee table, empty milk bottle in hand.

"I just want to make sure you're alright, Arthur. I could give two shits about the story. Even though, yes, I really do want to know what has got you so upset."

Arthur felt his expression change and he smiled at Merlin. Merlin almost immediately eased up, his shoulders straightening.

"Thanks, Merlin," he said. "But I probably shouldn't drink any more tonight, anyway. I'm afraid if I drink as I tell you the story, I might end up drunk dialling them—"

"Who?" Merlin asked. He came around the coffee table and took a seat next to Arthur on the sofa. He placed the empty bottle on the coffee table and turned to face Arthur. "What is wrong?"

Arthur shrugged and twisted his laptop so Merlin could see the screen.

"Someone's getting married?"

"Yeah." Arthur nodded and he tried to not sound utterly devastated, but he was sure that he'd failed. "My ex. To my best friend."

"And you're still in love with your ex?" Merlin asked. Arthur noticed a different tone in Merlin's voice this time. He sounded weird.

"No. Not really. I mean we weren't meant to be, you know, her being a girl and all..."

"Oh," Merlin said nodding and then relaxed against the sofa.

"Oh, what?"

"You're in love with the _best friend_," he said. "Of course. I should have figured..."

"What?" Arthur said, getting a bit defensive.

"Nothing. So did you get invited to the wedding or are you just stalking them?" Merlin smiled but Arthur felt like Merlin didn't really want to talk about that. He didn't really seem interested; it was as if he was hiding something.

"I am invited. The Best Man and everything. Don't really have to do much, though. He didn't want to have a proper Stag party. We just went out for beers earlier tonight. The wedding's in a couple of days and I—" Arthur sighed. "On top of everything else, I don't even have a date."

Merlin didn't say anything. He just sort of hummed.

"My fault, really," Arthur said, ignoring Merlin's hesitance to speak.

"What's your fault?"

"I started dating Gwen as sort of a last resort. I mean, I was pretty sure I _was_ gay, but she's really pretty, you know. Really sexy... and her legs and her arse..."

"Arthur..."

"Right. So I thought that if I could make it work with her, then maybe I _could_ make it work. I knew I was attracted to Lance. He's hot too, in his own sexy kind of way. I was trying to mask my feelings for him by trying to date the hottest girl I knew and then—"

"Then, what?"

"Then they met and sparks flew and—"

"She cheated on you?" Merlin sounded repulsed. "With your best friend?"

"No. No. Nothing like _that_. She broke it off proper and all. She was really sweet about it, too, cried and everything. Then six weeks later, Lancelot asked me if he could call her. I didn't really believe that they hadn't been doing things behind my back and he told me."

"What?" Merlin asked, sounding really interested in the story and turned to face Arthur again. His knee was slightly brushing up against Arthur's side and he backed off.

"He promised me that he didn't do anything with her and if I really had a problem with it, then he wouldn't call her. Forget all about her, even if he was having trouble—forgetting."

"So you gave them your blessing, and now they're getting married. Sucks for you that Lancelot isn't gay or bi—"

Arthur scowled at Merlin.

"Sorry. That was rude." Merlin looked down at his hands and bit his lower lip.

"You're really beautiful," Arthur muttered and then his eyes widened as Merlin looked at him, equally shocked. Did he just say that? Did he just say that _out loud_? He wasn't even thinking— Where did that come from?

"Sorry, I don't know—"

Merlin laughed. "Wow, you really are drunk," he said.

Arthur stayed quiet. In reality, he was stunned speechless. He just watched Merlin as the man laughed and then ran his hand through his hair. He was shaking his head, and Arthur noticed that Merlin just about had the most beautiful smile. How had he not noticed this about his neighbour before? Merlin came over practically every day to borrow sugar, or milk, or something or other.

"What are you looking at?" Merlin asked and straightened up; his shoulders were tense again.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare. I was just thinking how you come by every day to borrow something—"

"Right," Merlin said. "Milk. I'm here for milk. So I'll just head over to the kitchen then—" Merlin started to stand up when Arthur grabbed Merlin's hand to stop him. Merlin looked down at Arthur grip and then looked up in Arthur's eyes. He looked confused and almost as if he was _challenging_ Arthur.

"_Mer_lin..."

"Yeah?" Merlin all but whispered.

"Do you _like_ me?"

"I— What? _No_!" Merlin scoffed and yanked his hand away from Arthur's grip. He ran his hand through his hair again then abruptly stood up from the sofa, accidentally knocking the empty bottle off the coffee table.

"I'm just here for milk. And you looked like you were about to cry so—"

"I was _not_ about to cry!" Arthur argued, even though he probably was. Actually, he was going to wank when Merlin interrupted him. Not cry. Wank. Right.

Merlin picked up the bottle off the floor and headed towards the door to Arthur's flat. "I'll just be going then."

"Merlin," Arthur said calmly. He'd clearly freaked Merlin out and he didn't want to do that. Merlin was Arthur's only single friend. Granted, he was his neighbour and they didn't really hang out too much but whenever Arthur needed something, Merlin was over in a minute, and he almost never said no.

_Interesting_, Arthur thought.

"What?" Merlin snapped his head up and looked at Arthur. He looked frazzled and Arthur realised he sort of liked that about him. He also liked the fact that he could still at least do that to _someone_. Arthur hadn't made another bloke nervous in a while. He hadn't really tried, either. He'd stopped being charming when Lancelot chose Gwen over him.

"Do you want to come by tomorrow night, and bring that bottle of Bowmore?"

"Oh," Merlin said, sounding surprised. "Sure. Yeah."

"And have dinner?" Arthur added. "I'll cook."

Now, Merlin's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to say something then immediately closed it. "I—" He grasped the empty bottle of milk in his hands as if he was holding onto it for dear life.

"Milk! Right," Arthur said. "Here let me pour some for you."

"Oh, right. I need milk. At ten o'clock at night."

Arthur grabbed the empty bottle from Merlin's hands and started to walk towards the kitchen. He heard Merlin's footsteps right behind him. Arthur had to orient himself for a moment as he realised that he _was_ rather pissed.

Arthur opened the fridge and brought out the carton, filling the bottle half way. "Here you go," he said and handed the bottle to Merlin and their fingers slightly brushed.

Merlin gulped. "Thanks," he said and then distanced himself from Arthur.

They walked back to the main door of the flat, and Arthur was about to twist the knob to open the door for Merlin when he turned to look at the man.

Merlin jerked his head back slightly and had his guard up. "What?"

Arthur took one step closer to Merlin and raised his hand to touch Merlin's face. The back of his fingers lightly caressed Merlin's cheek and then he ran his thumb over Merlin's lower lip. "So. You'll come for dinner tomorrow?" he asked.

Merlin nodded his head slightly. His eyes were fixated on Arthur's lips.

Arthur smiled and leaned in so he could kiss Merlin. Merlin didn't move and allowed Arthur to gently graze his lips over Merlin's. The kiss was soft, and over too quickly. Arthur smiled and bit his lower lip as he looked into Merlin's eyes. _Fucking beautiful_.

Clearly, Arthur had been too occupied in his own life to have ever noticed Merlin before. Evidently, he'd been blind.

Merlin left a moment later, and Arthur turned off the lights in the sitting room and retired to his bed. He wasn't going to need online porn after all to satiate his need.

* * *

The next day was Saturday, and Arthur woke up early to clean his flat. He made a list of things to purchase at the supermarket for dinner that night with Merlin, along with ensuring that he had lube and condoms in case things escalated. He wasn't really sure if he was actually going to have sex with Merlin, that night or _ever_, but it didn't hurt to be prepared.

For dinner, Arthur prepared mushroom and chicken risotto with goat cheese salad and bought chocolate pudding for dessert. He also bought a few bottles of wine in case Merlin wasn't really a whiskey drinker. Honestly, who kept a bottle of Bowmore in their house and didn't drink it?

After everything was ready, Arthur had just about twenty minutes to shower before Merlin was due to show. Or at least Arthur hoped that Merlin would show. He might have completely freaked his neighbour out with that kiss.

He was just about done drying his hair when there was a knock on the door. Arthur wore a dark red button down shirt with loosely fit jeans. He opted to wear his casual pair of sandals. They weren't going to leave the flat, not really, so he didn't need to put on his loafers.

Arthur opened the door and was in for a shock of his lifetime when he found Lancelot,_ not Merlin_, standing there.

"Lancelot!"

"Arthur," Lancelot said and gave Arthur a once over. "Is this a bad time?"

"No! Come in," Arthur said and moved out of the way to let Lancelot into his flat. He wasn't sure what Lance was doing there as he was supposed to be getting married the next day. Both the bride and the groom were going to spend the night apart and Gwen was supposed to be with Morgana and the others as Lancelot was going to stay with his parents.

"Is everything okay?" Arthur asked as he offered Lancelot a beer from the fridge.

"Yeah. Just thinking, you know?" Lancelot responded and took a swig of his drink.

"About what?" Arthur asked. He tried to look at the wall clock to determine the time. Merlin was due at any moment and he didn't want to give his date the wrong idea. But he also didn't want to blow his friend off.

"This..." Lancelot closed the distance between him and Arthur as he brushed Arthur's lips with his thumb. Arthur immediately shuddered at the touch, but it wasn't with pleasure, rather, distaste.

Up until yesterday, if Lancelot had done what he was doing, Arthur would have loved it. But last night had been different. Arthur had felt like he was sleeping and that kiss with Merlin had woken him up. He'd been stupid and blind. He was pining over someone he could never have, should have never wanted in the first place, and didn't see the beauty that had always been before him.

"I thought maybe I could give this a try," Lancelot said as he ran his hand over Arthur's jeans and cupped his balls.

"Lance..."

"Arthur..."

Lancelot brought their faces closer together and his lips were a mere centimetres away from Arthur. He looked into Arthur's eyes and smiled. He was waiting. He was waiting for Arthur to lean in and kiss him. He wanted it to be Arthur's kiss, not his.

"No," Arthur said. "You're marrying Gwen tomorrow; this isn't the right time to experiment."

"Wow. I never thought you'd actually turn me down," Lancelot said. His tone wasn't as malicious sounding as his words would have implied; he sounded genuinely shocked.

"I know, neither did I," Arthur answered honestly. "But like I said. You asked for my permission to date Gwen, and I'm not going to allow you to cheat on her now. Not with me, at least."

And then there was the knock on the door. Arthur didn't give Lancelot a chance to answer and he made his way to the door. When he opened the door, Merlin, looking gorgeous of course, was standing there.

Merlin wore a black t-shirt with fitted jeans and had wrapped a blue scarf around his neck. He beamed at Arthur when Arthur had opened the door and Arthur tried to smile back with equal enthusiasm.

"What's the matter?" Merlin asked. He had evidently read whatever worried look Arthur had on his face and reacted immediately to it. "Did you...change your mind?"

"No, of course not." Arthur moved out of the way to allow Merlin into his flat and he watched Merlin's shoulder tense up when Merlin found Lancelot standing there.

"Merlin, this is my friend Lancelot. Lance this is my neighbour, Merlin. Remember I told you my friend's getting married tomorrow? That's him." Arthur struggled to make the introductions and hoped to God that he didn't sound as flustered as he felt.

"Right. Hello," Merlin said kindly and Arthur sighed in relief.

"Hi," Lancelot said and walked towards Merlin to shake his hand. They briefly shook hands and Lancelot eyed the bag that Merlin was carrying. "What've you got there?" he asked.

"I brought some whiskey for—for our—"

"Date," Arthur said, determined. He stressed on the word as casually as he could allowing Lancelot to know that he _was_ interrupting something.

"Bowmore! That's incredible. You know that's Arthur's favourite," Lancelot said, sounding rather arrogant and Arthur, who was standing behind Merlin, glared at his friend.

"I know. That's why I brought it," Merlin answered and turned to look at Arthur. He smiled _that_ smile again and handed the bottle to Arthur. "I'd bought it for you, but I just never got the chance to actually—"

"You did?" Arthur was nearly floored by that comment. He wasn't sure if it was genuine or if Merlin was just saying that given he'd known about Arthur's history with Lancelot.

Merlin grinned again and nodded. As Arthur took the bottle from him, their fingers brushed again and this time, Merlin didn't retreat. He let his hand linger on Arthur's as they stared at each other. Their sweet moment was over too soon when Lancelot cleared his throat.

"Right. You're here," Merlin said coldly and turned to look at Lancelot again. "Sorry, forgot for a minute. I seem to forget the world when I'm with Arthur."

Arthur looked at Lancelot who was at a loss for words. Arthur stepped up next to Merlin and placed his free hand—the one not holding the whiskey bottle—and rested it on the small of Merlin's back. Merlin almost immediately leaned into the touch.

"I understand you're getting married tomorrow?" It wasn't a question, but Merlin's tone suggested otherwise.

"Yes, I am," Lancelot replied. He shifted his weight from one leg to another before speaking again. "I just came by to spend some time with my Best Man the night before the wedding, I didn't realise you'd have company—"

"I asked Merlin over for dinner, and—"

"Would you like to join us?" Merlin asked, and Arthur gripped Merlin's t-shirt. What was he doing?

Lancelot cleared his throat again. "No. Thanks," he said and ran his hand through his hair. "I clearly interrupted your date and— Arthur, I'm sorry. I should just go." He walked around the two men and made his way to the door. "Merlin, it was nice to meet you."

"Lance— Wait." Arthur turned to look at Merlin whose expression was unreadable. "Can you give me a minute?"

Merlin nodded. He grabbed the bottle from Arthur's hands and turned to walk into the kitchen.

Arthur watched him go and when he was out of sight, he returned his gaze towards Lancelot. "Let me walk you out," he said.

They stood in the hallway as Arthur closed the door to his flat behind him.

"I didn't know you were dating someone," Lancelot said.

"It's sort of new," Arthur said. "I wanted to know if it was going anywhere before I announced it on Facebook." He rolled his eyes and Lancelot laughed.

"He seems to genuinely like you," Lancelot observed.

"You think so?" Arthur asked, unable to hide the giddiness from his voice.

"Yeah," Lancelot answered. "I'm sorry I almost ruined it for you tonight. I don't know what happened to me. I just freak—"

"Lance, it's okay," Arthur said, trying to soothe his friend. He grabbed Lancelot's shoulders and squeezed them gently. "You're just nervous. Cold feet. That's it. You love Gwen and Gwen loves you. You're going to spend the rest of your lives together. It's okay, and mistakes happen. Just forget about it. Now, I've got to get back to my date who is probably snooping around my flat unsupervised—"

Lancelot laughed. "Alright. Get back to your date before he finds your porn collection."

Arthur pulled Lancelot in for a hug and then quickly returned to his flat. Wanker or not, Lancelot was still Arthur's best friend and they were going to be like that forever. Now he was sure that he _was_ able to move past this desire for the man towards someone who might have actually wanted him, and not just for a one-off.

When Arthur entered the kitchen, he found Merlin sitting at the dining table with a glass of wine in his hand. He was reading one of Arthur's cookbooks. He looked up at Arthur and grinned. Arthur's heart almost melted right then and there.

"I thought you were a software developer," Merlin said.

"I am," Arthur answered.

"With the way you have written in all of your cookbooks, and the dinner you made, I would have pegged you for a chef or something."

"I like cooking. It's a passion, really, but I wouldn't want to make it work."

"Why not?" Merlin asked and set his wine glass on the table.

"Because then I'd hate it. I want to keep liking what I do and doing what I like..."

Merlin seemed to consider that statement and the smiled again. "I get that."

Arthur sat at the chair across from Merlin's and started to serve up the food.

"So, how did it go?" Merlin asked after about a minute of silence.

"How did what go?"

"With your best friend that you're in love with." Merlin's disdain was hard to miss.

"He was just having cold feet and was going to do something stupid. He's fine now. Heading back to his parents for the night," Arthur answered. He looked up at Merlin who only nodded and his face was impassive again. "I wasn't going to—"

"What?"

"I wasn't going to shag him or anything. If you hadn't come when you did. I mean I'd turned him down already."

Merlin nodded again but didn't say anything. He took a bit of the risotto and smiled.

"Will you say something?" Arthur said, finally.

"I wasn't acting," Merlin replied and when Arthur looked at him confused, he continued. "When I saw him and the way I was...acting...I wasn't..._acting_. I didn't like seeing him there and it really bothered me. I wanted to punch him in the face but I stopped because of you. Because he's your best friend and I— respect you."

"You were jealous?"

"Fuck yes, I was jealous. God, I wanted to push you against the wall and start kissing you just so he could _see_ that you weren't _his_."

"Am I yours?"

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to be?"

Arthur didn't answer. His leg was shaking with nervousness and his cock was swelling up in his jeans. He _wanted_ Merlin and with the way Merlin was looking at him, Arthur wasn't sure for how long he could keep his composure.

"Did you really buy that whiskey for me?" Arthur asked, changing the subject.

"Yes. I saw that it was your favourite and had bought it for you for your birthday last month. I just couldn't—"

"You said it was a gift."

"Yeah. A gift for you."

"Oh." Arthur paused to think it over. "How did you know it was my favourite?"

Merlin mumbled something but Arthur didn't understand.

"_What_?"

"I saw it on your Facebook page," Merlin said after he'd finished chewing his food.

"We're Facebook friends?"

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we are."

"And you stalk me?"

"When I'm not busy coming over to get sugar or milk. Yeah."

"I _was_ wondering what do you make that you're always in need? I thought you loved to bake or something and just thought you were rude to never offer—"

"I have a cat," Merlin said. "And I don't really need sugar for anything. I just..." He shrugged.

"Sorry I've been so daft, Merlin," Arthur admitted. "If I'd just realised a month ago—"

Merlin smiled again that shut Arthur right up. "This really is delicious, Arthur," Merlin said, changing the subject again. Arthur was glad he wasn't the only one who did such a thing.

After dessert, they retreated to the sitting room and Arthur finally opened the bottle of Bowmore that Merlin had brought. He dropped two cubes of ice in each glass and then poured them both a generous shot.

"Thanks for coming over for dinner, Merlin," Arthur said as he finished his first drink and turned to look at Merlin. He caressed Merlin's cheek with the back of his hand again, and Merlin almost immediately leaned into the touch. "And thanks for the whiskey," he added.

Merlin hummed, closing his eyes as if he was really enjoying Arthur's touch.

Arthur watched Merlin for a good minute. He bit his lower lip as his eyes went from Merlin's jawline to his lips. Before he knew it, Arthur asked Merlin the question he'd been considering. "Do you want to be my date for the wedding?"

Merlin's eyes shot open and he stared at Arthur. "What?"

"Do you want to be my date for the wedding? Tomorrow. I mean, if you don't have other plans..."

"Taking someone to a wedding is a big deal, Arthur. Taking someone to your _best friend_'s wedding. It's not like you're asking me to go bowling or to the theatre—"

"I know," Arthur said, rubbing his thumb over Merlin's mouth. Merlin licked his lips. "God, that's sexy," Arthur added with a smile.

Merlin took Arthur's hand that was touching his face in his own; he kissed it and then held it in his lap.

"Arthur," he said grimly. "I like you. You'd asked me this last night and I was caught off-guard and I couldn't admit it then, but I can now. I _like_ you. I can't be your date for the wedding if you're going to use me to make someone else jealous— Or to prove a point or something—"

Arthur was about to respond but Merlin cut him off.

"If you just want to fuck and make this a casual thing, then that's fine. That's something I can live with. But I will not be used and allow my feelings to be—"

"_Mer_lin," Arthur called. "Taking someone to a wedding is a big deal, sure. And I like you and this is new, and you stalked my Facebook page and came over all the time to borrow milk—" Arthur pause to laugh for a moment. "I think you're incredibly sexy and I want to show you off, but that's not why I want you to go to the wedding with me. I just think, if you're there, then it might just be _bearable_."

"So you want to use me as a distraction?"

"Yes. And I'd rather spend five hours in a stuffy suit looking at you than be uncomfortable, and miserable, and hot. At least if you're there, I know I can just lean over and kiss you and make other people uncomfortable, or miserable, or hot..."

Merlin smiled and leaned in to briefly kissed Arthur on the lips.

"Besides, I've heard wedding sex is supposed to be super hot."

"Who said I'm going to have sex with you?" Merlin asked, pulling back.

"Didn't you just say that you were okay with fucking and making it a casual thing?"

"Is that what you want?" Merlin was all of a sudden sounding nervous again.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "You can be really insecure sometimes, Merlin. Do you know that?"

"Have you ever looked in a mirror?"

Arthur ignored Merlin's response and poured them another serving of the whiskey. "So, will you be my date?" he asked as he handed the glass to Merlin.

Merlin grinned again. "Sure. It sounds like fun," he said.

"Great!" They clinked their glasses and took a sip of the drink. Merlin coughed.

"Not a whiskey fan, then?" Arthur asked.

"More of a wine or beer drinker, really. I just—this stuff is too strong for me."

Arthur smiled and stood up off the sofa and went to the kitchen. He returned a moment later with the bottle of red wine and a glass for Merlin. "You don't have to drink it if you don't want to," he said.

"Oh, thank _God_!" Merlin exclaimed and his cheeks immediately flushed as though he was embarrassed of his reaction. "Sorry, I didn't meant to insult—"

Arthur hushed Merlin with a kiss. "I think you taste better with wine on your lips," he said. "As long as you don't mind tasting whiskey on me."

"I don't mind," Merlin said, and licked Arthur's lower lip. A moment later, they'd forgotten all about their drinks, and Arthur had all but climbed on top of Merlin, pushing him against the back of the sofa.

* * *

When Arthur woke up the next morning, he had a huge smile on his face. His dinner date with Merlin had been fantastic and they'd snogged on the sofa in between sips of wine and whiskey for hours.

Arthur wanted nothing more than to carry Merlin over his shoulder and throw him on his bed, but he didn't want to give Merlin the wrong impression. He _liked_ Merlin and wanted to date him. He didn't want Merlin to think that he was only going to use him for sex, even if kissing Merlin, feeling his hands on Arthur's thighs and his tongue in Arthur's mouth had kept his cock rock hard for most of the night.

They said their goodbyes just after eleven o'clock, as Arthur wanted to get a good night's sleep before the wedding, and Merlin said he still needed to figure out what he was going to wear. He wanted to look good. He wanted to look good for Arthur.

Arthur smiled to himself as he thought about Merlin in the shower. Everything about Merlin seemed to turn Arthur on. Arthur couldn't believe that he really had been _this_ blind for so long. Merlin liked him and if Arthur had really pulled his head out of his arse a while back, they could have been shagging all this time.

Arthur imagined what it would be like to touch Merlin the way he was touching himself. He wanted so badly to stick his prick in between Merlin's arse cheeks as he got Merlin off. He wanted to see Merlin's face as he came, moaning Arthur's name, pleading — _begging_ — for more.

It wasn't long until Arthur was coming, imagining Merlin with him. He hadn't wanted someone like this in a very long time, and he couldn't wait for him and Merlin to get back from the wedding so they could actually shag.

An hour later, Arthur was ready to go. He was going to get Merlin from his flat and then drive to Lancelot's parents' place. The limousine was going to arrive there and then all the groomsmen were going to ride in it. All the ladies, including the groomsmen's dates were going to travel with Gwen. Since Arthur's date was a bloke, he would be going with Arthur, and Arthur could not have been more glad about that. He didn't want to let Merlin out of his sight at all.

When he knocked on Merlin's door, Arthur had to wait a good five minutes before the door opened. The person standing at the door _wasn't_ Merlin, though. It was some girl Arthur had never seen before.

"Hi. You must be Arthur. I'm Freya," she said and offered her hand to Arthur. Arthur shook her hand, sure that his confusion was written all over his face when Freya spoke again. "I stopped by to help Merlin pick out a tie. He's a nervous wreck, you know."

"Freya!" Arthur heard Merlin scream and she bit her tongue and opened the door all the way for Arthur to enter.

"Come in. Princess is having a rough time."

Arthur laughed. He was going to like this Freya girl; he could tell.

He walked into Merlin's flat and was mesmerised by the artwork that covered almost every inch of the wall. Then he heard something purr near his leg and saw the cat the Merlin had mentioned the night before.

"Oh, not now, Dobby," Freya said and picked up the cat. "You're going to shed all over Arthur's trousers and we can't have that!"

"Dobby?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

She laughed. "Yeah, it's from _Harry Potter_. We're huge fans."

"Do you live here, too?" Arthur asked. Arthur was pretty sure that Merlin's flat was a one bedroom but it didn't hurt to ask. For all he knew, Merlin was bisexual and was shagging this Freya girl on the side.

"No," she said shaking her head. "Merlin and I used to be flatmates when we were in University, but I live with my boyfriend in Chelsea. I was just talking to Merlin about his date last night, and he said that you'd invited him to your ex-girlfriend's wedding and I thought I'd stop in and—"

"Scout me out?"

"Something like that." She smiled and her gaze went behind Arthur towards the room and Arthur turned to see as well.

"Wow," Arthur muttered when he saw Merlin wearing a fitted black suit, his hair set with product. Usually Merlin had the look of the boy next door, which he was, but now he almost looked like a model. "You look great!" Arthur said as he walked over to Merlin and pulled him in for a kiss.

"Really?" Merlin asked sheepishly when Arthur broke the kiss.

"Yeah," Arthur whispered in Merlin's ear. "I've missed you."

Merlin grinned at Arthur then turned to look at Freya. Arthur followed suit and was surprised to see Merlin's friend teary-eyed.

"You two are so cute! I'm just going to lose my shit if I don't get out of here," she said.

Arthur laughed and intertwined his fingers with Merlin's. "We should get going as well. I don't want to get in trouble with the groom for being late!"

They arrived at Lancelot's parents' house in record time. Luckily, there wasn't that much traffic for a Sunday morning, and Arthur and Merlin were the first to arrive and be greeted by the groom's family.

"Do you reckon he's still going through with it?" Merlin had asked in the car.

"Why do you ask that?" Arthur wondered.

"I don't know. He'd showed up last night looking for a shag. What if he went somewhere else and found a more willing participant?"

"I'm quite sure that Lancelot went back home last night. He gets steered away from his goals sometimes, but he's not a bad bloke."

Merlin seemed to consider Arthur's words, but didn't answer. For the rest of the drive, he'd just stared out the window and when Arthur had reached for Merlin's hand, Merlin had willingly held his for the drive.

"Hey, you're here!" Lancelot exclaimed as he came out of his room to greet Arthur. He seemed a bit taken back to see Merlin there.

"My plus one option was still open so I've brought Merlin with me. I hope that's okay," Arthur said.

"Of course!" Lancelot said and smiled. "Sorry again about crashing your date last night."

"No worries!" Merlin answered, his tone soft. "Congratulations on the big day. Are you excited?"

Arthur was glad to see that Merlin was being so kind with his best friend. He really didn't want to create any complications between the three of them, given the confusion from the night before, and that Merlin had already made some assumptions about Arthur's feelings for Lance. He wanted Merlin to know that ever since Arthur had realised his feelings for Merlin, what he'd felt for Lance didn't even compare.

Ten minutes later, all the other groomsmen had arrived and they all seemed surprised to see Arthur with a date. Especially someone they'd never met before. Arthur didn't realise that bringing a date to a wedding was really _that_ big of a deal. All of his other friends had been with their girlfriends for over six months before they'd asked them to accompany them to a wedding.

"So Merlin, what's your story?" Gwaine asked, breaking the silence between the men once they'd settled in the limousine.

Arthur rolled his eyes and Elyan only shook his head. Gwaine was the biggest flirt amongst their group. He was out as a bisexual and even though he only had had long-term relations with girls, he openly flirted with blokes and even shagged them when he was in-between relationships. It wasn't like Arthur knew anything about relationships, he hadn't had a lasting one, ever. He reckoned he was just jealous of Gwaine's ease with everything and everyone around him. All he knew was that he wanted Gwaine to stop flirting with his date.

"No story, really," Merlin said. "I work as a comic-book artist, mostly working from home, and I live next-door to Arthur."

"Ah! Interesting. So how long the two of you have been shagging?" Gwaine winked.

"Gwaine—" Arthur interjected.

"We've only just started dating and well—"

"I see. Arthur is a bit slow," Gwaine said, and Percy laughed. Arthur glowered at both of them.

"Well, a slow lover can be a good thing," Merlin said squeezing Arthur's hand. Arthur blushed immediately, and the rest of the men in the limousine squirmed. That's what you got for discussing gay sex in a car full of straight blokes.

"So tell us more about this comic-book art," Leon said, changing the subject.

Merlin's face seemed to light up as he discussed his work.

Merlin had started out as a freelance illustrator for Frameworks Designs who rented out his talents to the highest bidder. He discussed how he'd got started doing comic books as an art student in his university and discovered a new passion for storytelling. Now, all he had to do was put up his availability online and people came knocking on his door. Arthur listened to him intently as he discussed how he loved being free, allowed to set his own schedule, and even travel to places like Los Angeles, Seoul, and Tokyo for conferences.

Arthur had no idea that Merlin's life was so interesting. He knew that his next-door neighbour was an artist, but not anything beyond _that_. Merlin, on the other hand, seemed to know almost everything about Arthur. Two nights ago, he'd asked Arthur about how he was a software developer, and Arthur didn't ever remember telling Merlin that.

He wasn't sure how he should have felt. Flattered to have a stalker, or scared?

They arrived at the Rosewood, and the limousine pulled up to the side entrance. It turned out that the Bridal party was running late and their limo had arrived at the same time. Arthur looked towards the other vehicle and the men soon discovered that they had to get out of their limo first and go to the suites reserved for the groom and the groomsmen before the bride and company could enter.

Gwen, being the stickler for rules, followed all traditions to the T.

Arthur walked with Merlin towards the entrance of the chapel before he had to join his friends in their reserved suite. They stood there for a while, both equally nervous, and stayed silent. When Arthur spotted Morgana, he sighed with relief.

"Merlin, this is Morgana, my sister," Arthur said, realising that Merlin probably already knew who she was.

"Hi," Merlin said.

"Morgana, do you mind keeping Merlin company for the ceremony? I've got to go and tend to the groom."

"Of course," Morgana said with a smirk on her face that Arthur didn't quite trust. "I'd love to hang out with him," she added with a wink. Now Arthur _really_ didn't trust her.

"Will you be okay?" Arthur turned to ask Merlin, who nodded. Arthur grinned and quickly kissed Merlin on the lips before taking his leave. He heard the gasp Morgana had released, but he didn't have time to entertain his sister's questions. Seeing how great Merlin had been with his friends in the limo, Arthur trusted Merlin to be able to handle his sister, too.

Everything seemed to be settled and it was time for the ceremony to begin. Arthur followed Lancelot, and the other groomsmen followed him into the giant hall. They waited by the altar and Arthur looked towards Merlin and Morgana who both gave Arthur a thumbs-up. He laughed and shook his head at them, and they turned to each other and resumed the conversation they seemed to have been engrossed in before the men had walked in the room. Arthur wondered what in the world they could possibly be discussing.

Every time Arthur would turn his head and look towards Merlin, he'd catch Merlin's eye, and Merlin would quickly look away. All eyes seemed to settle on Gwen when the music began and Gwen walked in wearing a beaded white gown. Arthur looked at Merlin again and this time Merlin didn't shy away; he stared right back at Arthur.

The entire room seemed to pay attention to the bride and groom, and Arthur and Merlin barely took their eyes off each other. It wasn't until Arthur was asked for the rings that he'd actually broken his gaze. When he looked back at Merlin, Merlin was blushing and Morgana was shaking her head.

* * *

"How are you holding up?" Merlin asked Arthur later when they were seated next to each other in the reception room after the wedding ceremony.

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked, confused.

"I know that you're like really into me and everything now, but this has still got to be a bit weird for you, yeah? How is it watching your best friend that you've been attracted to marry your ex-girlfriend?"

Arthur released a sigh that he didn't really know he was holding in. "It's weird, I'll admit. But I'd resolved a long time ago that they are meant to be with each other and I was just delusional to think otherwise. And clearly, I had been blind, or sleeping, that I hadn't seen you for so long. To think all this time we could have just been sh—" Arthur stopped himself.

"We could have been what?" Merlin asked, and his hand came to rest on Arthur's knee. He gradually slid it up Arthur's thigh.

Arthur practically choked on his champagne and coughed as the rest of the room turned to look at him and Merlin. He glared at Merlin who only grinned in return. "What are you doing?"

"Me? I'm not doing anything," Merlin said innocently and winked at Arthur. "What were you going to say?" he asked after Arthur had composed himself. "We could have been _sh_—"

"Shagging," Arthur whispered. "I was going to say that we could have been shagging."

Merlin bit his lower lip and then squeezed Arthur's inner thigh. "You looked really hot, by the way. Up on that altar."

"Yeah?" Arthur asked; his tone, flirty.

"Yeah. I was hard the entire time just looking at you—"

Arthur coughed again. "You were?"

"Yeah. Every time you turned to look at me and smiled..." Merlin used his other hand and brushed his thumb over Arthur's lips, then he lowered his voice. "My cock twitched and all I wanted was to be on your sofa, like we were last night, except this time we wouldn't have stopped. I wouldn't have gone home. Instead—"

"Instead?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"Instead I would have taken your jeans off and slid down on the floor and— Well, you can guess after that."

"I don't really have a very good imagination, Merlin," Arthur said. "I'm a bit slow, remember?" Arthur placed his elbows on the table and leaned in towards Merlin. "Whisper it to me."

"I'm so fucking turned on, Arthur. I would give anything to suck your cock right now."

Arthur gulped and struggled to keep his composure. "You're too much, Merlin," he said and looked around the room. Everyone else seemed too busy in their own conversations to pay them any mind. Some people did look in their direction, but they smiled softly and looked away. Arthur reckoned that, to the rest of the room, they might as well be discussing sports.

"I don't know how else to be," Merlin answered simply and his hand slid further up, reaching Arthur's erection and squeezing it. "God, how big is that thing?" Merlin's hand pressed against the head of Arthur's cock.

Arthur smirked. "Too big for your pretty little mouth?" he teased. _Two can play that game_.

"I doubt that," Merlin replied. "I bet I could fit it all in without flinching until it hits the back of my throat."

"Dear _God_, Merlin. Where the fuck have you been my whole life?" Arthur asked, his voice raspy.

"Living next door," Merlin replied.

Arthur smiled and he looked towards Merlin's lips and leaned in to kiss him when their moment was interrupted.

"Hey there, having a good time?"

Arthur and Merlin broke apart and Arthur looked up to find Gwen and Lance hand in hand.

"Gwen, this is Merlin," Arthur said, flustered.

"Hi Merlin," Gwen said and turned to look at Arthur. "I'm so glad you brought someone, Arthur."

Arthur wrapped his arm around Merlin's shoulder and pulled him in. "Me too."

"It was a beautiful ceremony," Merlin said and his hand returned to rest on Arthur's knee, although, it wasn't as high up his thigh as it had initially been.

"They're going to announce the First Dance soon. Arthur, will you save me a dance tonight?" Gwen asked looking hopeful.

"Of course, Gwen," Arthur answered and he only hoped that his annoyance wasn't too obvious in his voice. After they walked away, Arthur turned to look at Merlin.

"What's the matter?" Merlin asked.

Evidently, it was obvious to Merlin.

"Nothing. She just annoys me so much with her sympathy. I know that she knew about you know—how I felt—and somehow she thinks I'll break or something because I didn't get what I wanted."

Merlin didn't say anything.

"I guess she hasn't realised yet that I've moved on, and I do have what I want," Arthur said.

"Nice save," Merlin replied.

"It's the truth."

"You're too much sometimes, Arthur Pendragon."

"I don't know how else to be," Arthur replied with a smirk.

"Good. I like the way you are," Merlin answered and they kissed once again and again, Merlin's hand crept up Arthur's thigh, cupping his balls.

Arthur tried not to be too obvious at the pleasure of feeling Merlin's hands on him. "Can you..." he breathed. "Can you give me a minute?"

"Sure," Merlin said sceptically and watched as Arthur stood up from his chair, straightened his clothes and walked towards Elyan.

A minute later, he was back, and sat next to Merlin again.

"What happened?" Merlin asked.

"Nothing, just...you'll see."

Merlin scowled, and Arthur reckoned that Merlin didn't like staying in the dark.

When the DJ announced the First Dance, Merlin and Arthur watched and when the rest of the reception party joined the bride and groom on the dance floor, Arthur grabbed Merlin's hand and pulled him up. "Let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"Just follow me," Arthur said and led Merlin out of the reception hall.

They took the lift to the fifth floor of the Rosewood, and Arthur only stopped to look at Merlin once they arrived outside the room.

"What's this?" Merlin asked.

Arthur slid the room key-card into the slot and opened the door. "The wedding guests have reserved the rooms for the night," he said. "For those who don't want to drive back into town. I took time off work tomorrow, in case I was going to be too hung over."

"And me?"

"Well, you said earlier that you work from home and we don't have to stay the night if you don't want to. I just wanted to, you know..." Arthur shrugged feeling foolish. He should have discussed this with Merlin than just doing this as a surprise thing. But they had been talking about shagging before and Arthur was just really turned on.

He had clearly not thought this through.

"Can we get room service?" Merlin said walking into the room and plopped himself on the bed. "Ooh, nice bed."

"You're okay with this?" Arthur asked, just to be sure.

"I don't know, Arthur," Merlin said sitting up on the bed on his knees and shrugged his suit jacket off. He tossed it on the chair next to the bed and turned to look at Arthur. "What part of _I will do anything to suck your cock _did you not understand?"

Arthur didn't say anything but stood there awkwardly. His cock twitched at Merlin's sultry voice but his feet seemed to have been frozen.

"Well, I am going to guess that you _did_ understand, because here we are." Merlin smirked and he reached out to hold Arthur's hand and pulled him.

"Your cat..."

"He can survive one night without me," Merlin said shaking his head. "You want this. Don't you?"

"Of course! Of course, I do. We only have about thirty minutes before I have to give my Best Man speech," Arthur said.

"Well, we'd better get to work, then," Merlin said and hopped off the bed. He carefully removed all of his clothes and placed them on the chair. He then gestured for Arthur to do the same.

Arthur was stunned silent again. He was just watching Merlin, naked and _aroused_.

"Twenty seven minutes, Arthur."

"Fuck! Right," Arthur said and hurried to take off his suit.

Merlin helped Arthur take his suit jacket off and then unbutton his shirt as Arthur worked on his trousers.

"When I thought about us fucking," Arthur said, finally finding the words to speak. "I didn't think it was going to be this methodical."

Merlin pulled on Arthur's neck and they kissed again as their erections brushed against each other. He pushed Arthur on the bed and then turned to take something out of his trousers. Arthur realised it was a condom.

Merlin balanced himself on top of Arthur and bent down to lick the head of Arthur's cock. Arthur arched up, moaning. It had been so long since he'd had sex with someone he actually wanted, Arthur wasn't sure how long he'd actually last.

Merlin swirled his tongue around the head of Arthur's cock before taking the whole thing in his mouth. He really was able to get it all the way in and Arthur felt his cock hitting the back of Merlin's throat. Merlin's hands were busy massaging Arthur's balls and Arthur struggled as he tried to run his fingers through Merlin's hair.

It was bloody brilliant.

Arthur knew he was close but they still had some time to spare; this was not how he wanted to come. "Wait," he uttered as he watched Merlin starting to stroke himself with one hand.

Merlin looked up and caught Arthur's gaze; his mouth still enveloped around Arthur's cock. Fuck, that was a sight to see.

"Condom," Arthur muttered.

Merlin released Arthur's cock from his mouth; his lips were dripping saliva and precome, and Arthur was _sure_ Merlin would be the end of him.

"Ride me," he said, _begged_ Merlin. "Please."

Merlin smirked and then took his time unwrapping the condom and sliding it on Arthur's cock. Arthur _was_ dying. Merlin _was _just about killing him.

"Fucking hell, Merlin," Arthur said, "why are you torturing me?"

Merlin didn't say anything for a minute and Arthur watched him. He licked his fingers and reached behind him as if he was preparing himself. Arthur wanted to touch Merlin so badly but every time Arthur's hands would move, Merlin would sternly shake his head.

"Because," Merlin drawled and balanced himself on his haunches again as he lined his entrance with Arthur's cock, "...do you have _any_ idea the kind of torture you put me through for weeks, months? Every day..." Merlin stopped talking for a moment as he slid down on Arthur's cock. He threw his head back and gasped. "I'd come see you, and you'd just open the door wearing those track trousers... _Oh, come on in, Merlin. I'd just been working out, Merlin._ I was _so _sure you were doing that to me on purpose."

He was all but settled on Arthur and started to slightly jerk his hips.

Arthur placed his hands on Merlin's hips and all but dug his nails in. "I didn't, I swear..."

"Yeah, because you really had no idea," Merlin said, increasing his movements as he started to tug on his own cock. "God, I wanked thinking about you every night, Arthur. Every night, I wanted you to fuck me..."

"I will fuck you every night, Merlin," Arthur said and he thrust up, which had Merlin moaning again. "There won't be a time when I won't fuck you, ever," he promised.

More than anything, Arthur wanted to grab Merlin's waist and switch with him. He wanted Merlin's back against the mattress as he pounded into Merlin, but he knew that he didn't have enough time. He came inside Merlin, still thrusting up, as Merlin spilled himself on his chest.

It was a giant fucking mess, and Arthur _loved_ it.

Merlin collapsed on top of Arthur and the mess he'd made on Arthur's body, smearing in between them. Arthur pulled out of Merlin and pulled Merlin to his side.

"Wait a minute," he said and got up to go to the bathroom to get a washcloth. He returned a moment later, and Merlin was collapsed on his side with his eyes closed. Arthur stood by the bed and just watched Merlin for a minute.

Merlin opened his eyes and smiled. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Arthur said, and handed one washcloth to Merlin as he cleaned himself up with the second one. "I don't want you to think that this didn't mean anything to me, because it did, but—"

"We need to get dressed and go back to the party," Merlin said; his tone was even and he didn't look hurt or disappointed.

"Do you want to come back here after? Spend the night, I mean?"

"Yeah, if that's what you want."

"I do. And we can get room service and everything. The room's registered under Lancelot's name, so he'll get the bill."

"Then, definitely!" Merlin said and hopped off the bed and started to dress.

They returned to the reception hall and no one really seemed to notice that they'd gone missing. If they did, no one said anything. Arthur was glad that by the time they returned, it was almost time to give the toast and that he wouldn't have to have the awkward dance with Gwen; she'd get over it.

Arthur walked up to the DJ station and took the microphone to make the announcement for everyone to take their seats so they could start with the speeches.

"Hi everyone. I'm Arthur, you know, the Best Man," Arthur began and slowly but surely, everyone walked away from the dance floor and sat down. Arthur got to the middle of the room and looked around at the tables that surrounded him. He smiled at some of the familiar faces and nodded at the ones he didn't really recognise.

"We are all here to celebrate a very special occasion in our lives. Gwen and Lance have known each other for three years now, and I think we all knew, even if we don't really want to admit, that there was something between them since the first meeting. Trust me, I'd know, I was there..." Some people in the audience chuckled. "I can say with confidence that there aren't any two people in this world that are more meant for each other—well, maybe I can't really say _that_ anymore—" Arthur looked at Merlin and smiled. When he turned to the right of the room, he saw Morgana watching them.

"But, the point is, when they first met, sparks flew and no matter what anyone else says, they did fall in love right away. Maybe it took them weeks, months, to realise the truth—the truth of what was right in front of them, but when they did, they made the smart decision of holding on to that. That really is a very rare gift to have—to find—someone that makes you feel complete. It was like Lancelot had been asleep his whole life, and when he met Gwen, he woke up. So, I'd like to toast to two of my most favourite people in the world and wishing them all the happiness in the world because we all deserve to find that person in our lives that..._wakes_ you up."

The guests cheered and many gave Arthur a standing ovation for his speech. When Arthur bowed to Gwen and Lancelot and returned to his chair, Merlin was standing there, waiting for him. He pulled Merlin into his arms and kissed him senseless.

As they pulled apart, Arthur leaned into Merlin's ear and whispered, "You woke me up, Merlin."

"Well, it's about time," Merlin answered.

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?" Arthur asked.

Merlin shook his head. "Not if I can help it."

* * *

That night, after the party, Merlin and Arthur returned to the room and headed for the shower. They fucked unhurriedly, like they had all the time in the world. Arthur couldn't keep a coherent thought in his head; everything was blown to pieces by what Merlin's body was doing to him, what Merlin's hands were doing to him.

Merlin rubbed their erections together as hot water poured over them and then he took the soap and lathered Arthur up, moaning and washing at the same time. Merlin really was quite the multitasker.

"Fuck, so good, Arthur," he whispered and spilled in between them, and then dropping to his knees finishing Arthur off with his tongue. He licked and sucked every part of Arthur as the hot shower ran. It was the best shower sex Arthur had had and he realised that a lot of the things he and Merlin were experiencing seemed to be the best for Arthur.

He couldn't help but wonder if Merlin felt the same way.

When they returned to the bed, still wrapped in towels, Arthur grabbed the room service menu and thought of ordering wine. He glanced at Merlin who was still standing by the bed, looking perplexed.

"What's the matter?" Arthur asked.

"That was good, right?" Merlin asked.

"The shower? The sex?" Arthur said and Merlin nodded. "It was bloody brilliant. Why, did you not—?"

"No, I loved it. I just..." Merlin shrugged. "I'm not _that_ experienced and..."

Arthur smiled. Merlin was just as nervous as he was and that sort of—in a twisted way—made him happy.

"Come here," Arthur said and pulled Merlin towards the bed. Merlin all but crashed on top of Arthur. "It was incredible, and I loved every minute of it. I can't wait to get home so we can do it again."

"We still have the night," Merlin said.

"Yeah. Let's get some wine, and do it again?" Arthur asked and Merlin nodded. He couldn't believe that in two days, Arthur went from the feeling of being all alone to having someone in his life that made him feel so alive.

"You said that I woke you up, right?" Merlin asked.

"Yeah?"

"That isn't literal, right? I mean, we will actually go to sleep at some point, aren't we?"

Arthur laughed. "I don't know, Merlin. Not tonight, anyway."

* * *

**THE END**


End file.
